Tough contest for 18 NC CWC seats

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Pokhara, Jan. 18: With the opening of 50 per cent of the CWC membership through an open and nation-wide voting, Congressmen are practically queuing up to fight for a place in the party’s top decision-making body.

Already more than 60 NC men have declared that they would be fighting for 18 seats of the Central Working Committee.

With so many aspirants, speculations are rife that the election could be complicated affair. Although Prime Minister and party President Girija Prasad Koirala has already said that election on the basis of panels would be a wrong procedure, some others, like Khum Bahadur Khadka, has not ruled out the election on panel basis completely.

So far, only two persons, Party President and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba have announced their candidacy for the party president. But it looks like there would be a rat race for the 18 members of the CWC, Many of the contestants are high-profile workers of the party, but some are quite unheard of.

Some of those who have confirmed their candidacy include: General Secretary Shushil Koirala, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, Minister of Finance and Defense Mahesh Acharya, Arjun Narsingh K.C., Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, Jagannath Acharya, Gopal Man Shrestha, Omkar Shrestha, Manmohan Bhattarai, Sukra Raj Sharma, Sujata Koirala, Ashok Koirala, Govind Raj Joshi, Rewati Bhusal, Jit Chhiring Lama, Ang Gyaljen Sherpa, Gopal Pahadi, Bidur Poudel.

The CWC members will be elected by 1465 members of the convention delegates. Each voter will choose 18 names from the list of the contestants and the 18 who get the highest number of votes will be elected.

According to the party’s Spokesman, Narahari Acharya, the nomination will be opened on Saturday and the election will be held on Monday at 11 A.M.

Others who also spoke at the programme were Minister for Health Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Chiranjibi Wagle, N.P. Saud, Bal Bahadur K.C., Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nisdi, Guru Baral, NSU’s district president and Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat.

Dr. Yadav said Koirala should again become the party’s president with Deuba under him as deputy party president or the party’s general secretary. However Deuba said he is firm in his resolve to fight for the Party’s top job and nothing less.

Maoist issue biggest problem, says Deuba

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Pokhara, Jan. 18: Former Prime Minister and an aspirant to the party’s presidency, Sher Bahadur Deuba said the Maoist movement is the biggest problem faced by the country today and if he is elected to the party’s top post he can solve the problem.

Speaking at a tea reception organised today by the Kaski district committee of the Nepal Students’ Union, Deuba said the Maoists are the outcome of the country’s socio-economic problems, including lack of employment opportunities, poverty and marginalised people being sidelined from the country’s development effort. Deuba revealed his formula of fighting the Maoists by developing the country’s hydro-power resources and through national consensus among all the political parties.

Giving his rationale to his candidacy, he said he is trying to assist the incumbent party president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Speaking before his supporters, he said he would make all possible effort to cooperate to make Koirala a successful Prime Minister.

NC CONVENTION BEGINS
CWC meet decides to present amendment draft

BY SUNIL K.C., NARAYAN UPADHYAYA

Pokhara, Jan. 18: In what could be a major amendment in the party’s statute, the Central Working Committee meeting of the Nepali Congress party today took a decision to restrict the tenure of the party’s president and the party’s district presidents to two consecutive terms only.

The last meeting of the Congress CWC before the 10th General Convention of the party took place today at the party’s district office at Chipledhunga, Pokhara.

The 10th General Convention of the Nepali Congress begins tomorrow. The inauguration of the Convention will take place at the Pokhara Satdium at 12:00 P.M. amidst a colourful function. Party President and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will inaugurate the Convention at the Pokhara Stadium at 12:00 P.M.

The inauguration function will be participated by the party’s CWC members, MPs, convention delegates, Mahasamiti members and invitees which include leaders of the country’s different political parties and foreign representatives.

According to an official of the organising committee, 21 foreign delegates have already arrived in Pokhara to attend tomorrow’s inauguration of the NC’s General Convention.

Earlier, the CWC meeting was attended by 29 of the 31 CWC members and 14 of the 15 invitees. Those who were absent at the meeting were Minister for Information and Communication Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta and P.L. Singh among the CWC members and Surendra Prasad Chaudhary among the invitees.

According to Narahari Acharya, the party’s spokesman, the meeting also discussed on the report by the General Secretary of the party, Sushil Koirala on the party’s policy and programme and on K.B. Gurung’s report on the party’s new code of conduct.

Both these reports were adopted with suggestions for minor changes and amendment and the CWC also formed two separate sub-committees to finalise the reports before they are submitted at the General Convention.

The sub-committee to finalise the General Secretary’s report contains the party’s General Secretary Sushil Koirala, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat, Minister for Finance and Defense Mahesh Acharya and CWC member Chiranjibi Wagle.

The sub-committee to finalise the report on the party’s code of conduct contains Taranath Ranabhat, K.B. Gurung, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and Chiranjibi Wagle.

Similarly, three-member committee of the party’s spokesman Narahari Acharya, Mahesh Acharya and Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat to collect, sort out and finalise individual proposals from the delegates and the Mahasamiti members and to present them at the General Convention.

The Spokesman said at the start of the meeting NC’s Shailaja Acharya had put forth her views against the election of 50 per cent of the members to the CWC, but her suggestion was overruled by the CWC’s by an overwhelming majority.

According to Mahesh Acharya, a CWC member, during its discussion on the party’s code of conduct, the meeting stressed on the strict implementation of the code and to discourage groupism within the party. He said the proposal focusses on the infusing moral values within the party and the strict implementation of financial discipline in the party.

Talking to the press after the meeting, CWC member Arjun Narsingh K.C. said the meeting decided to adhere to its earlier decision of electing 50 per cent of the CWC members.

However, another CWC member, Khum Bahadur Khadka did not decline on the possibility of the election being held under panel. "We are still discussing on the issue."

Meanwhile, the closed door session of the Convention will start from 5:00 P.M. tomorrow and at the first session of the convention will discuss on the party’s statute.

Koshi FM begins broadcast from Jan. 14

Biratnagar, Jan. 18 (RSS):  Koshi FM Radio Private Ltd. started its regular broadcasts from January 14, 200l.

Koshi FM, which is on the air from 6 a.ma. to 9 a.m., noon to 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., relays the news from Radio Nepal at 7 a.m., and also broadcasts songs in Nepali and Hindi.

The FM station with a 500 watt capacity transmitter is audible in Sunsari, Morang and parts of Jhapa district.

Conservation of herbal plants stressed

Pokhara, Jan. 18 (RSS): A regional seminar concerning formulation of an action plan on conservation prospects and management of herbal plants in Nepal organised jointly by the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and the Medical and Aromatic Plants Programme in Asia under the International Research and Development Centre, Canada, got under way here today.

The objectives of the workshop are to collect data and undertake studies on herbs found in Nepal and help in the conservation and sustainable management of the endangered ones which are used commercially and in medical treatment.

The workshop will also make recommendations to the concerned authorities on undertaking the conservation of 50 to 70 important species.

Attending the workshop are 35 persons including experts from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Britain, Norway, France, Canada, Denmark and Nepal.

Vice-chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology Dr. Dayananda Bajracharya declared open the workshop here today.

Dr. Dann Leamann of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also expressed his views at the function held with Dr. Madhav Karki as convenor. Dr. Samar Bahadur Malla presided.

On the occasion, happiness was expressed at the ensuring of participation by rural people in the protection of medicinal herbs.

P.L. Singh boycotts convention

Kathmandu, Jan. 18 (RSS):  NC central member and MP P.L. Singh has issued a press release here today protesting against what he said was non-compliance with the Nepali Congress central working committee (CWC) decision to renew the membership of all existing members and not distribute new memberships so as to resolve the controversy over active memberships.

He also made it clear that he has boycotted the party’s 10th general convention, which is being held in disregard of his just demand for implementation of the party CWC decision.

Nepal for unity to consolidate democracy

Pokhara, Jan. 18 (RSS): CPN-UML general secretary and main opposition party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has called for unity among communists, nationalists and democrats in order to consolidate multi-party democracy and wipe out corruption and feudalism.

Inaugurating the three-day national council of All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) here today, Mr Nepal demanded that stern action be taken against those involved in the Lauda air scam no matter what posts they hold.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) can win the confidence of the public if it takes action against wrong-doing without consideration for the personality of the individual involved, he added.

The CPN-UML does not want to rule by threat or by force, Mr Nepal said adding that carrying of guns will not make the Maoist movement successful, and that the views they have adopted are wrong and autocratic.

As the present educational system of the country is not suitable it has given rise to unemployment, he added.

Central members of the party Surendra Pandey and Kashinath Adhikari and other speakers also expressed their views at the function chaired by ANNFSU President Rajendra Kumar Rai.

Altogether 135 students including central committee members, national council members and district committee members of the union are taking part.